Lemon Pound Cake
Lots of requests have been coming in for a way to transform my classic pound cake to a bright and sunny lemon pound cake. While I’d hoped that the transformation would be as simple as a splash of lemon juice and a sprinkling of lemon zest, it turns out a few more alterations were needed. Ultimately, I ended up doctoring my classic bundt cake recipe to create that citrus-infused beauty you see above. The “secret” ingredient (cream cheese!) already added a subtle, flavorful tang to the cake that not only made the crumb deliriously moist, tender, and flavorful, but it enhanced the lemon flavor and helped it to really shine.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
You’ll love that this cake is dense and heavy (as any pound cake ought to be) but is still soft and tender with a plush crumb that nearly melts in your mouth. It’s also un-fussy to make with basic pantry ingredients. The glaze is another winning component, a rich citrus crown! A bit of melted butter in the mix (rather than just water and sugar) makes it perfectly rich and thick and rounds out the flavor nicely, while the lemon juice makes the citrus flavor truly pop! Grab yourself a glass of lemonade (no such thing as too much lemon here) and let’s get started.
What You’ll Need
Lemons. I use the zest for the primary lemon flavor of the cake, then the juice is used to make a sweet but tart lemon glaze.Flour. I recommend and use all-purpose, but you can substitute cake flour instead for a finer, softer crumb. If measuring with cups, use this substitution guide, and if measuring by weight you would use the same amount listed. Cream Cheese. This is my secret weapon for the softest, most flavorful and tender lemon pound cake of your life (hint: I also use this ingredient in my petit fours and coffee cake for the same reason!). I have only tested this recipe with full-fat brick-style cream cheese and don’t recommend making it with low-fat or spreadable.Sugar. Granulated sugar only (for the cake), as I found brown sugar bullied the lemon flavor that we want to let shine. For the icing/glaze you’ll use powdered or confectioner’s sugar.Butter. For the cake, you’ll want to make sure you are using unsalted butter, but either unsalted or salted will work for the glaze since we’re using such a small amount.Buttermilk. Adding buttermilk to this cake adds a flavor and moisture and yields a more tender cake. If you don’t have buttermilk in your fridge, you can always try my buttermilk substitute.Vanilla & Lemon Extract. While the primary flavor is lemon, I still recommend using vanilla extract. It adds depth to the flavor and the cake is better with it. I typically do not use lemon extract at all and prefer to just use the lemon zest listed, but for a brighter, more intensely lemon flavored cake you should consider adding the extract.
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Lemon Pound Cake
SAM’S TIP: A clean wooden skewer indicates that your lemon pound cake is baked completely, but it could also mean that the cake is over-baked. It will continue to bake a bit more as it cools in the bundt pan, and by the time you invert it it could be over-done, dry, and crumbly. To ensure a soft, tender cake, try to catch it a bit earlier. Look for the skewer to come out with a few moist crumbs (but not wet batter) and then immediately remove from the oven.
Making a Lemon Glaze
More Recipes You Might Like
Enjoy! Let’s bake together! Make sure to check out the how-to VIDEO in the recipe card!
